Andrew `Andy` Basinas

Andrew (Andy) W. Basinas, 97, died Monday, December 30, 2019 at Meadow Ridge Assisted Living. He was born November 13, 1922 in Lowell, Mass. to Greek immigrant parents, Vasilious and Antonia Basinas. He married Shirley Nesheim on October 20, 1945. She preceded him in death in 2014 after 68 years of marriage.

He was preceded in death by his two older brothers, James and Nicholas Basinas.

He is survived by a daughter, Toni (Neil) Lange. A niece, Althea (Michael) Jelley, two nephews, Bill (Karen) Basinas and James (Kelly) Basinas. Also, two nieces, Melissa Basinas, and Elizabeth Sywk.

Andrew graduated from high school at the Westford Academy in 1941. He was in the Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1946 where he completed his service as a flight instructor.

While completing his education at the U.W. Madison, Andrew, Shirley and Toni spent many wonderful summers back in Westford. His Greek heritage and love of family were very important.

After receiving his Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, Andrew worked for the State of Wisconsin and his career spanned 30 years until his retirement in 1986. He served on the Probation and Parole board for the State of Wisconsin, became the Director of Institutional Services and completed his career as Warden of the Oakhill Correctional Prison in Oregon, WI. Andrew had a kind and fair heart and treated those who worked with him and under him with dignity and respect.

Andy lived a full and interesting life and had many interests and talents. He always had a project going, was good at carpentry and enjoyed remodeling two homes. While at the U.W. he studied meteorology and enjoyed a personal interest in the topic of weather. Other interests were fishing in northern Wisconsin, lapidary, gem faceting, and leather tooling.

In 1967 Andy and Shirley bought a beautiful and picturesque farm near Paoli where they lived for 25 years. Here they raised beef cattle, chickens, planted many vegetable gardens along with a variety of apple and fruit trees. As a family, they all shared a love of horses and dogs. In its serene and peaceful surroundings, they entertained many family and friends.

We would like to extend a special thank you for the compassionate care and support of Heartland Hospice and also the caring staff at Meadow Ridge Assisted Living.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, memorial donations may be made to Heartland Hospice of Madison, WI.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at the Redlin Funeral Home, 401 Madison Ave., Baraboo, WI. Visitation at 2:00 and memorial service at 3:00.